Demographic publishing has become very popular since it allows advertising targeting of a group of subscribers to a particular magazine or like publication who have an enhanced probability of being interested in the advertising provided. In demographic publishing a number of different forms of signatures having specific demographic appeal are printed, each type of form having different demographic appeal than the others. Each subscriber is then sent a form of magazine--produced utilizing the signature having the specific demographic appeal form--having demographic information that likely will appeal to that subscriber. All magazines having a signature of each particular form are produced in postal code sequence in order to obtain bulk mailing rates.
A more recent technique utilized in the printing of magazines and other publications is the personalization and addressing of the magazine as part of the bindery process. Commercially, this is most commonly done with low resolution ink jet technology, because of its speed and non-contact imaging. However such technology is limited in quality and coverage, hence limiting the ability to add a high degree of personalization to magazines or like "book" bound, publications. One alternative that has been used in areas having very low labor costs is to simultaneously image a label placed on a signature with addressing information at the same time the signature is printed with variable data, and then later--in a manual operation--removing the pressure sensitive adhesive label from the signature and positioning this label manually on the cover of the publication. This technique is only practical where the labor costs are extremely low, however, and also may leave a readily discernible "void" area on the signature at the point at which the pressure sensitive adhesive label has been removed, or require detachment of an entire section of where the label was printed.
According to the present invention, a method and apparatus are provided for imaging and folding publication signatures at high speed with high quality, integrating the imaged signatures as part of the normal bindery process, detecting data on the imaged signatures, and using the detected information to access a data base of addressing information and ultimately electronically printing the addressing information on the cover of the publication. The method according to the invention is completely automatic, provides the ability to add a high degree of personalization to traditionally bound publications, and does so in a high quality manner. The method and apparatus according to the invention are particularly useful with ion deposition printing of the personalized information, although other printing techniques can also be utilized. The printing of the address information can be by ink jet printing since the address information, itself, need not be high quality.
In the present specification and claims, the generic term "book" is utilized. This term is intended to encompass magazines, newsletters, and other like types of bound publications. The term "signature" has its normal meaning in the book publishing field.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of forming a book, having a cover adapted to receive address information, from a plurality of signatures is provided, the method comprises the steps of automatically: (a) Printing at least one personalized signature with variable, detectable, personalized printing. (b) Assembling the personalized signature with at least one other signature. (c) Detecting the detectable personalized printing on the personalized signature. And, (d) in response to (c), printing address information on the cover. The variable, detectable, personalized printing must of course be of high quality. The two most practical types of personalized printing are OCR characters and bar code, in which case step (c) is practiced by optically scanning. However magnetic printing and detecting can also be utilized.
Step (a) may be practiced by printing complete mailing address information on the personalized signature, while step (c) is practiced by optically scanning the complete mailing address information and step (d) is practiced by temporarily storing the complete address information and then printing essentially that same information on the cover. Alternatively step (d) may be practiced by comparing the personalized printing detected in step (c) with information in a data base, and withdrawing favorably compared information from the data base.
The method may also comprise the further step (e) of assembling the signature from step (a) with other business documents, such as a business reply envelope. Step (a) may be practiced by printing personalized indicia in a border area of the signature (particularly if the personalized indicia is to be bar code--which is normally visually unacceptable in the final product), in which case there is the further step (f) of cutting off the border area after step (d) is practiced. These steps may be continuously repeated to produce a plurality of different types of books, but all books having address information with common postal code, regardless of type, are produced in sequence, for securing a minimum postal rate.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of forming a book, having a cover, from signatures, including the cover, comprises the steps of automatically: (a) Printing personalized printing, including address information, directly on the cover. (b) Assembling the signatures, including cover, so that the address information is on, or will be on, the outside of the cover. And, (c) trimming the signatures to form a book.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of forming a book, having a cover adapted to receive address information, from a plurality of signatures is provided. The method comprises the steps of automatically: (a) Printing at least a first signature having specific demographic appeal in a plurality of different types of forms, each type of form having different demographic appeal than the others. (b) Assembling the first signature with at least a second signature, to form a book. (c) Correlating said plurality of different types of forms to address information in a data base with common postal codes. (d) Assembling in sequence the books with common postal code address information to be applied thereto regardless of type of first signature forms, so as to obtain the greatest chance for the lowest possible postal rate. And, (e) printing address information on the cover of each book so that each addressee has a book with a first signature of desired demographic appeal. Steps (a)-(e) are preferably practiced by printing personalized indicia on the signatures, detecting the personalized indicia, and printing address information on the cover corresponding to the personalized indicia detected.
The invention also contemplates apparatus for forming books having covers adapted to receive address information. The apparatus comprises: means for printing at least one personalized signature with variable personalized printing (preferably a plurality of ion deposition printers); means for assembling a personalized signature with at least one other signature; means for detecting the personalized printing on the personalized signature (preferably optical scanners); and means --in response to the detecting means--for printing address information on the cover (preferably an ink jet printer).
The invention further contemplates a method of forming a book, having a cover, from first and additional signatures, including the cover, comprising the steps of automatically: (a) Printing personalized printing, including address information, so that it is provided on a portion of the first signature. (b) Forming a die cut window in a portion of the cover. (c) Assembling the signatures, including cover, so that the address information on the first signature is aligned with, and viewable through, the die cut window in the cover. And (d) trimming the signatures to form a book. Step (a) may be practiced by printing the address information on a label, and the method then may comprise the further step, prior to step (d) (e.g. between steps (b) and (c)), of automatically placing the label on the portion of the first signature visible through the cover die cut window. Alternatively, step (a) may be practiced by ion deposition or ink jet printing directly on the signature.
It is the primary objects of the present invention to provide a high degree of personalization to traditionally bound publications, and to obtain optimal postage rates on mailing such publications. These and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.